Hull City boss Phil Brown will take a strong squad to Italy for Thursday's hastily arranged friendly with Atalanta as he looks to build momentum in the Tigers ranks.

City fly to Bergamo tomorrow ahead of a surprise practice fixture against the Serie A side and while nine players are away on international duty, the majority of the remaining players are likely to feature.

Fresh from a vital win over Stoke on Sunday, the game has been designed to see City retain match fitness during the international break and build towards their crucial Premier League return against strugglers West Ham on November 21, says the Hull Daily Mail.

Brown is expected to utilise the full depth of his vast squad and give run-outs to the likes of Geovanni, Dean Marney, George Boateng, Steven Mouyokolo and Ibrahima Sonko.